mi75

I guess I was just SO thankful when I was new, to get any good answers from vets. I looked at them-and still do- as an invaluable resource! I felt bad for the responder! Of course there was much discussion about the 'pouch stretch'. I WANTED to chime in that although with a sleeve there is no actual stretch, drinking pop CAN lead to a lot of regain- like it did with me. but, i didn't respond at all.

I just read a thread over on the 'POST surgery' forum about POP. a newbie post related to drinking soda after surgery, a vet answered them and got herself torn sideways from the OP. I feel bad because this person was QUITE obviously trying to only help, and give adequate information. For example, the OP carried on about their 'pouch' and stretching it. The vet simply responded that a sleeve is not the same as a RNY pouch and that it really can't be stretched according to anatomical make up. Well, so much for trying to help! When I was a NOOB i was so happy to get good advice from the vets. in fact, that is how I learned the majority of the information that I needed pre-op. Obviously the other newbies couldn't give me advice based on experience, but the vets then were SO helpful (that includes many people on this forum). So building off the other thread related to vets leaving, I look at this and totally understand why some vets have left....

thanks- btw i'm NOT doing the 2 day as planned, I'm going to do the 5 day from kaye bailey. Kaye offers some great supportive videos on youtube AND her plan is much more similar to the post op phases (allows more eating of actual foods, 2 day then BOT plan advocates shakes all day and only one meal at night for dinner). hopefully this is Do-able because my eating is crazy. I work nights and afternoons (work 4 shifts a week and i have variable start and finish times- this is a nursing job but is flexible to allow me to finish NP school) and i find myself eating during the day THEN eating during the night to help me stay awake. I have to get out of this cycle, and I have about 24 months left in this job before i'm done with school. I really love the job so I don't want to go looking for a new one during the hardest part of my schooling. but, gaining weight all through these 24 months isn't an option...

not to mention that if you're obese and undergoing general anesthesia you are already at a HUGE risk for a pulmonary embolism- which can be fatal in an instant. smoking is just a MASSIVE addition of risk to the whole scenario. if you are still pre-op it is likely that you'll have to have a cardiac clearance and most cardiologists worth their salt won't clear you for surgery if you are actively smoking.

well that says it all! I'm starting a reset tomorrow because I'm once again off track. It just seems so easy for me to derail these days. I'm working SUCH a terrible schedule right now and my sleep is totally disordered. I find myself eating around the clock some days just to stay awake at work, and am sleeping terribly because of the weight gain. I thought I was getting back on track pretty well but i'm rolling down the hill once again! Going to just get a tight grasp on my entire situation before I find myself back at my staring weight!!! Wish me luck- BTW i'm doing the 2 day reset and then the BOT scenario from Bariatric Eating.

OK we are getting a nice group going!!!! Keep the responses coming

Twin Lab Bariatric chewable Vitamins or Optisource multi vit. For Calcium I use the chews (like star burst!) or sometimes the gummies. I use B complex sublingual drops and just started taking some Vitamin D and Biotin again.

The threads I've been reading are mostly the reason that I only post HERE (vet's forum) and in the Regain forum. All the others I don't really spent too much time in, but once in a while I will respond to some question about pre-op diet or exercise...I've really noticed a huge difference in the forums overall since I had surgery 2 years ago. It seems that MOST of the people that were posting back then are gone. There are still some (like y'all) still here and I'm so grateful. I'm coming down from a terrible re-gain cliff and working hard to get back on track. yes, I have to agree. I wonder if the insurance reforms that have happened in the past couple years have loosened the requirements for some states/insurance companies? Maybe these folks have different requirements than we did, and possibly WAY fewer requirements such as psych, nut etc??? THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM.....

I have posted details about my New Year's challenge sign up. The thread is over in the "regain and back on track" forum. Head over and take a look if you're interested. I"m still struggling along but feeling better every day and pushing myself harder all the time. I"ll get back where I was!

I PREFER them, but have a hard time finding good ones at the stores I frequent. I want to be concerned about grass fed beef, free roaming chickens, etc. However it IS expensive to eat this way and sometimes the budget needs to be kept in check!

Diet sounds pretty similar to most. Every doctor has different requirements. In my practice there were several docs and all of them had a different pre-op diet! The point is to shrink the liver and limiting added sugar will definitely do that. Natural sugar in the juices shouldn't hinder at all, it will only help keep your appetite in check. My pre-op diet also included a serving of Metamucil daily. Sounds crazy, but it DID really help with appetite also. I'm back to doing that daily just to ward off the cravings.

well, duh...obviously I'm in. (hubs too, and even though he's not a bariatric patient I'll have him doing bariatric diet with me so i'll post his stats too)...

OK, here is the official call out for the New Year's challenge. We're going to plan way ahead this time so everybody who WANTS to, can plan ahead and get ready for a New Year, New Start! Just start thinking about it, and if you want to get started with all of us after Jan 1st, please just respond below so that I have an official count. I'll start the actual "Challenge Thread" late December, that thread will be for our 'official' stats, weigh ins, etc. The thread name will be "NEW YEAR, NEW START CHALLENGE" Here we go people, get ready!!!!!!!!

Just reading some of the threads from re-starters and a lot of us are doing great. Keep up your good work. For all those still struggling, today just try to master ONE THING. then in a few days try another thing. It will kick back in! Check in here. I'm personally checking out a new support group in my area next week and although I'm nervous to go (because of my regain), I think that it really is necessary for accountability. Hang in there everybody!!

pre op and current op folks, you guys don't really need a challenge yet, you are all going to be losing with very little effort for the first MANY months post op, AND learning your post op program. Good luck to all of you! Come on re-gainers, let's hear from you on this challenge!!!!

I really REALLY need to still do a lot of work and as the holidays approach i'm finding it harder again. is anybody here interested in doing a short challenge prior to turkey day? Something just to get us all going. Doesn't have to be a formal plan, just a 7 day window to post your stats, do whatever works for YOU and stay accountable daily on this thread? I will offer it up today, we could start this Wednesday (Nov 16) and go until midnight next Wednesday. I will offer this again for a 2 week challenge at the beginning of December. FOR ME, this is one way to get back on track, and stay there. Please respond by midnight tomorrow if you are interested. Here's what would be required: Post Day 1 stats- your current BMI for that morning Post daily meal info- doesn't have to include macros, just what you ate, what you did for movement, etc. Check in daily on this thread and offer support, word of wisdom, a great recipe, etc. Last day, next Wednesday- post current BMI for that day. No prize per se, just the satisfaction of being there for each other and trying to kick me in the butt a little. I really need this. Respond by tomorrow night if you want in. thanks!!

Well, the whole point of me approaching Alex a few months ago and asking to get a Regain forum going was just this. There are a LOT of us out there. Some of us didn't ever reach our intended goal. Like me, i came within about 15 lbs of reaching my goal then gained about 20 back. So I too felt like a major failure. However, my husband pointed out to me over this past weekend that i really have lost a lot so far. Just because we take a few steps backward does not mean that we can't get moving forward again. Good luck. please use the resources and support that's here. you can do it!

there are various options for the pouch reset out there. the 5 day one seems to be the most popular. i tried that one and failed. then i restarted it. there is also a 2 day one out there, and i tried that one. surprisingly, it really helped me a lot! it doesn't seem likely but that seemed to be just enough to get me on track. shakes don't have any 'real' food in them per se, however they are good for trying to cut back, and also good for maintaining Protein intake if you are not in a position to be eating huge amounts of protein. i just saw my new RD about a month ago and she actually recommended some shakes to me, even just one a day is helping. you have to do what works for you. obviously if we were all of the 'eat less move more' school, we wouldn't be on a surgery forum, post surgery! good luck to all

I too struggle mostly because of a job. My current job is a night 'boss' situation. i really like the job, and it works really well for my schooling (i'm in a Doctor of Nursing Practice (NP) program). So I have to stick it out for about 24 more months. however, i have had 2 different bariatric docs talk to me about how night shift work goes against every thread of normal sleep/wake cycle that we have and is absolutely the worst thing for me. as much as i'd love to switch to days, right now i really can't. nights allows me to have time with my family AND get my residency hours done for school, and there is no day shift position that is the exact same as mine. the job i do is specifically meant for night time when the administration goes home. I found myself eating ALL the time at the new gig. i realized that i was eating just to stay awake. As a result i gained about 15 lbs. so I'm really truly trying now to be conscious of my eating. I prep, take a meal with me, take a Quest bar, keep some Protein shake mixes in my drawer in my office, etc. The downside is the cafeteria has awesome food and it's always still open when i get there. i find myself on auto pilot many nights and head in there for junk. so i'm really trying now to just keep out. i also am really REALLY working hard to only get stuff that is friendly to my lifestyle. hang in there.

hang in there! my pouch reset was hard as heck. i failed it multiple times before actually getting it right!

if you have kidney issues, then yes you can eat too much Protein, but otherwise it's really not an issue. bodybuilders can often eat upwards of 150-200g of protein a day. each patient is different- my goal is 90-130g per day because i am lifting and starting a weight regimen so i need extra for muscle building. good luck!!

as it's been said before, weight loss surgery is a TOOL. nothing more. nothing magic. nothing instant. and it takes WORK. after having surgery i think how i can best describe it is this: prior to surgery, i could literally eat pounds of food and never really feel full. after surgery, i feel like i am eating very 'normal' portions comparable to what other people would eat. 'dieting' is something that when i make an effort to do- can work. cutting cals and moving more is making a difference. the only issue for ME is that i am eating those 'normal' portions too often every day, and found myself indulging WAY too much in my daily soda habits. so i'm cleaning it up, making an effort and hopefully within a few weeks i'll have some awesome stats to show off!

So when I saw the new dietitian a couple weeks ago she gave me some great ideas about what different Proteins I could try. The first was a Protein from GNC called AMP. i found a small-ish resealable bag and chose Strawberry!!! i hate that most of my proteins aren't available in strawberry so i'm excited about this option. The second option is a drink from Atkins called LIFT. 21g protein per bottle! Not really a shake, more of a vitamin-Water type drink. I FOUND THEM AT MY WAL-MART ON CLEARANCE!!! for $7 a pack. normally they are 9.99-11.99 from what i can find online. so i just got one, but let me know if you are a fan, because i'll pick up more. Isopure is the devil to me. Somebody on these boards once told me that 'isopure tastes like cat ass' and seriously, they are right. i can't stand that stuff. Next- online things. I am a huge fan of youtube and love to watch inspirational videos there, plus old episodes of Fat Doctor. One thing that i fell upon when looking at lifting/bodybuilding videos was a great couple called Fit Couple Cooks. They do meal prep. Absolutely GENIUS!! love their prep videos. they weigh EVERYTHING. and all the recipes are basic-stuff you would have. shrimp with cauliflower rice and veg. butter chicken. chicken fajitas, beef and veg. lasagna. ALL great stuff. they portion and give you tips for storage/freezing. they each have had a significant weight loss journey and he is a registered dietitian so they are pretty knowledgeable. the best part, most of the meals cost about $3-5 per serving so they are very cost friendly. That's it from me. getting late. have a great start of week!

Well, i am still working semi-hard. it was a tough 5 days for me. after losing my dad, we had his headstone placed this past friday and had a very ugly reality check hit me. up until now that grave was just a spot. now it's where my dad is. very surreal. so i had an UGLY episode of stress eating and just complete failure, but i recognize it and continue onward. i found these Atkins drinks plus a few new protein options my NUT told me about- i'll post that in another thread. So just putting my hand out for anybody here who needs some support, or a lift upward, or just someone to listen. i get it, i'm going through it too.

hang in there everyone! we are all getting back on track together!!